


under my skin

by satans_cinnamonroll



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Robots & Androids, Family Issues, Friends to Lovers, Happy Ending, Light Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-10
Updated: 2017-09-10
Packaged: 2018-12-11 09:51:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11711928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/satans_cinnamonroll/pseuds/satans_cinnamonroll
Summary: He is my best friend, my lover, my soulmate. He is also made of wires and circuit boards.





	under my skin

**Author's Note:**

> The prompt gave me a lot of room to work with, although I'm sure it's not as angsty as the prompter might've wanted it to be & a lot fluffier. Also, Kyungsoo & Chanyeol are a bit ooc, so i apologize.
> 
> I had so many ideas for this, however, incredibly in-depth fics are not my strong suit, so at the end are some things that I couldn't figure out how to fit into the story. (I prefer to write shorter, simple fics, if you couldn't tell by me barely passing the minimum word requirement)

Baekhyun had friends- a lot of friends. So when the older man had heard that Kyungsoo was looking for someone to flatshare with, and had subsequently offered to set him up with a colleague, Kyungsoo had been expecting, well, someone _human._

The man sitting before him certainly was not.

It’s not that kyungsoo had anything wrong with androids- quite the opposite, actually, since he was actually pursuing robotics as part of his double major. However, Kyungsoo hailed from a family who, despite it being the year 2037, seemed to be stuck in the 2000’s. They hadn’t supported the integration of androids into society, refused to see them as equals.

(Even when androids were the ones trying the hardest to find the Cure, his parents had no respect for them. They believed the only people capable of restoring the human population were humans themselves, despite countless studies suggesting otherwise. Their narrow-minded ideals were part of the reason Kyungsoo tried to distance himself from them as soon as he graduated high school.)

Still, his parents are the ones paying his tuition, and they’d flip if they found him living with an android. But Kyungsoo was willing to give this a chance, and when the man- _Chanyeol_ , he remembers- joins him in the booth, Kyungsoo is nothing short of polite.

“Hi!” Chanyeol greets, deep voice catching Kyungsoo off guard. He holds his hand out, which Kyungsoo shakes with only a moment's hesitation.

They spend the next hour and a half just chatting. Kyungsoo finds out that Chanyeol is one of the lead scientists at the lab Baekhyun works at, spearheading the research for the Cure. He also discovers Chanyeol’s vast array of hobbies, including snowboarding and bowling and, to Kyungsoo’s shock, rapping.

The thought of living with an android doesn’t seem so daunting anymore.

Before he realizes it, it’s nearly three and he has a class to attend in 30 minutes. Chanyeol waits for Kyungsoo to pull his mask back on, then walks him out of the coffee shop, stopping at his jeep just outside.

“If you’d like, you can come see the apartment this weekend. Baekhyun informed me that you have the weekend off.”

Kyungsoo agrees, and they trade numbers with the promise to work out a plan. Chanyeol is even kind enough to drop Kyungsoo off at the university, just in time for his class.

He makes sure to send Baekhyun a _thank you_ text before the day is over.

* * *

 The weekend comes and goes pretty quickly. Chanyeol and Kyungsoo agree on Saturday, and Kyungsoo can say that he’s more than impressed. The apartment is spacious and tidy (a nice change from the dorm he currently shared with some kid named Junmyeon, who had no clue how to clean up after himself), and it’s within walking distance of his school and the convenience store he works at.

He’s even installed a brand new air purifier, one that certainly works better than the one in the dorms. The confirmation that the air is clean, and the hourly updates comfort Kyungsoo tremendously.

“I haven’t needed one of these before, but I figured that you’d feel more comfortable with it.”

“Thank you, Chanyeol.”

* * *

 Kyungsoo doesn’t officially move in until nearly a month later, when he’s passed the hoard of exams and finally has time to do something other than study. By now he and Chanyeol have become good friends, much to Baekhyun’s delight.

(“See, I told you that you two would get along. Now you’ve just gotta bring it up to your parents, and you’re gucci.” “Baek, please stop talking.”)

There’s not really much to move. There’s only one load of boxes until Kyungsoo is saying goodbye to the dorms, and hello to Chanyeol’s much better apartment. Unpacking doesn’t take long either, and they’re able to settle down around 7 with Chinese take-out and a shitty horror movie on the flat screen.

(Chanyeol doesn’t really need the food, but, like most androids nowadays, he likes to eat it anyways.)

Kyungsoo had expected it to be somewhat awkward, because up until this point they’ve just been hanging out, and going back to their respective homes afterwards. Now they live together, roughly only 2 months since they’ve met. But it’s not awkward, because Chanyeol is making stupid jokes about the movie and treating Kyungsoo as if he’s always been meant to live there.

It’s nice.

* * *

 (Baekhyun whines about being ‘cheated on’, until Kyungsoo has to reassure him that “no, Baek, Chanyeol is not replacing you as my best friend, so shut the fuck up and leave me alone.”)

* * *

 Six months after moving in though, Kyungsoo starts to feel something changing. He doesn’t know quite what, but he notices subtle differences in the way Chanyeol treats him. Chanyeol has always been generous and kind, but he’s taken up cooking and waking up even earlier than he normally does to treat Kyungsoo to homemade breakfast. He’s more physical, finding the lamest excuses to get closer to Kyungsoo. Almost every text he receives from the android is a terrible pick up line, some of which Chanyeol will even repeat to his face.

Chanyeol even winks at him. To others, the sight would be a bit weird; the movement is slow and robotical, his other eye twitching and his face scrunching up. Kyungsoo finds it endearing though, and it always manages to leave him slightly flustered.

Kyungsoo is 100% sure that Chanyeol is trying to flirt with him. The thought both excites him and terrifies him, because while Chanyeol is admittedly A+ boyfriend material, there’s still the matter of Kyungsoo’s parents and he already knows what their reactions would be.  
He’d be disowned. It’s happened before, to his cousin who fell in love with an android despite what his parents believed. She’d been raked over the coals by his family, banned from entering their house, and never talked about again. It had seemed so easy for his family to forget about her. The idea terrified him, because even if he didn’t agree with them and tried to distance himself, they were still his family and he wouldn’t want to ever go through that.

* * *

So he ignores the signs. He decides to keep himself at an arm's length from the android, friendly and polite but never overstepping his boundaries. He picks up extra weekend shifts at the shop, trying to subtly distance himself. By now Kyungsoo knows the Chanyeol has figured out something’s going on, but the android hasn’t tried to confront him, so Kyungsoo thinks he’s in the clear.

The only person to know of Kyungsoo’s problem is Taeyeon, Baekhyun’s fiancée. They’ve always been good friends, and Kyungsoo trusts Taeyeon to give him actual advice, instead of Baekhyun, who would more than likely have no clue about what to do.

He complains about it when they meet for their bi-weekly lunch. Taeyeon listens dutifully while she eats her sandwich, waiting for Kyungsoo to finish before voicing her thoughts.

“I think you should do whatever makes you happy, Kyungsoo. You’ve never been one to let your parents dictate your life. They didn’t want you to move out-of-state for school, yet you did. They didn’t want you to befriend Baekhyun- although, if I’m being honest, I can understand their concern there.” The last sentence is muttered with a conspiratorial smirk, and it pulls a laugh out of the both of them.

After a moment, Taeyeon is serious again. She meets his eyes, lightly taking hold of his hand as she says, “If Chanyeol is going to make you happy, go for it. Even if your parents don’t approve, you’ll still have your brother- Seungsoo has proven that time and time again. And, of course, you’ll have Baekhyun and I.”

There’s an encouraging smile on her face, and Kyungsoo is once again reminded of how grateful he is for Taeyeon.

* * *

 After dropping Taeyeon back at her house, Kyungsoo is left with his thoughts. Her words are still ringing in his ears, and even though he’s feeling a thousand times better about the situation, he’s still not sure about how to move forward. He’s avoided Chanyeol for a month now. There’s no guarantee that Chanyeol will forgive him, or if he still likes Kyungsoo anymore.

The idea of Chanyeol no longer giving Kyungsoo those fonds smiles, or casually throwing an arm over Kyungsoo’s shoulders during movie nights makes his heart hurt.

* * *

 In the end, Kyungsoo makes the first move.

Kyungsoo, freshly showered after returning from work, decides to join him on the couch for a movie. Chanyeol is clearly surprised, even more so when Kyungsoo decides to sit somewhat close to him. Kyungsoo’s waiting for Chanyeol to say something, anything. The atmosphere is tense, neither really paying attention to the movie playing quietly in the background.

After a few minutes of nothing, Chanyeol reaches forward and pauses the movie. He stays hunched, elbows on his knees and hands on his face, not looking at Kyungsoo.

“Why have you been avoiding me?” His voice is quiet, filled with hurt.

Kyungsoo tries to hide how nervous he is, focused on making his voice even, “I needed to figure some things out.”

“What things?”

“My family problems,” Kyungsoo pauses, “...and my feelings for you.”

That gets Chanyeol’s attention. He turns to look at Kyungsoo, eyes wide.

Kyungsoo carries on before Chanyeol can speak, “My family hates androids, and they definitely don’t approve of human/android relationships. But I like you, so, so much, and I decided that you’re worth it. I’m-”

Chanyeol cuts Kyungsoo off, suddenly pressing their lips together, large hands cupping his face. Kyungsoo feels like he’s in heaven, melting into the kiss.

(Internally, he gushes about how soft Chanyeol’s lips are. He’s quite surprised.)

* * *

 The relationship has Kyungsoo feeling quite giddy, expressing more happiness than he’d usually be comfortable with. When they meet up to get drinks, Baekhyun teases Kyungsoo for a solid five minutes before demanding to know all the juicy details.

Things change around the apartment too. Kyungsoo will be cooking and Chanyeol will cling to him out of nowhere, trailing kisses along his neck or resting his chin atop Kyungsoo’s head. At first they had continued to sleep separately, but now, months later, Kyungsoo spends more time in Chanyeol’s room than his own. There’s nothing he loves more than curling up with Chanyeol at night, trapped in his warm arms and face buried in his neck.

(The only thing he dislikes about sleeping in Chanyeol’s room is the large cord that has to be plugged into the android's back every night. Kyungsoo’s lost count of how many times he’s tripped over the stupid thing when he gets up to use the bathroom.)

He’s happier than he’s ever been.

* * *

 Nearly a year after they’ve started dating, Kyungsoo is called upon by his family. They want him to visit, and with encouragement from Baekhyun and Taeyeon, he decides it’s finally time to tell him.

It goes just about as well as he expected. His parents are outraged, yelling numerous profanities at him while his grandparents and aunts and uncles stare at him, disgust and disappointment clear on their faces. Only Seungsoo, sitting across the table, looks happy for Kyungsoo.

It hurts, just as much as he expected, but he refuses to cry around them. It’s only his first night back but they already want him to leave, sending him back on the next flight possible. Seungsoo drives him to the airport, hugs him extra hard before making Kyungsoo promise to invite him down sometime to meet Chanyeol.

When he gets home, Chanyeol’s waiting at the door, engulfing Kyungsoo in his arms almost immediately. Only then does he allow himself to cry.

* * *

 Of course, things get better. He hasn’t heard from his parents since, but Seungsoo makes it his goal to come down every few months. Seungsoo and Chanyeol get along incredibly, much to Kyungsoo’s delight.

It’s the night of Baekhyun and Taeyeon’s wedding, and while they look amazing, Kyungsoo can’t take his eyes off Chanyeol. He’s breathtaking in his custom suit and pushed back hair, standing out amongst the many people crowding the church.  
As Kyungsoo stands behind Baekhyun, fulfilling his duties of best man, he imagines himself standing here with Chanyeol in a few years time. He’s never been the one to daydream about marrying somebody, but as he makes eye contact with Chanyeol and receives that smile reserved for him, he decides that it’s the only future he’ll want for himself.

**Author's Note:**

> 1- The human population is slowing dying out of some virus. It's mentioned a few times throughout the fic- the air purification filters, the masks that are worn by humans while outside, and the Cure™ is talked about at the beginning.
> 
> 2- Going along w/#1, that's the reason why there are so many androids. There are also humans-turned-androids, however I imagine that procedure to be expensive, difficult, and taking quite a long time. 
> 
> 3-Technology has become so advanced that robots/androids are almost exactly like humans. They can use all 5 senses, sweat, get tired (although, when they “sleep”, they have to be plugged in. for comical purposes). They can feel emotions, although not to the extent that humans do.
> 
> 4- Human/Android relationships are actually quite common & accepted by the majority. Kyungsoo's family just falls into the minority that disagree. 
> 
> 5- Not gonna lie, when I first sat down and started planning this out, I was originally gonna end this with someone (baekhyun/taeyeon/kyungsoo) catching the virus, but the prompter wanted a happy ending/no deaths so I scrapped that idea. (I was also going to include a smutty scene, because a while back my friend sent me headcanons about robot anatomy & robot/human sex, but that was ultimately scrapped due to me not liking what I had written)


End file.
